Wing's Daily News

1 pound=3500 calories. So the equation is as follows: (change calories per week)/ (3500 calories) = your change in body weight per week in pounds. So if you are increasing your intake by 500 calories a day (3500 calories per week) then the equation is: (3500)/ (3500) = 1 pound a week. If you increase your daily caloric intake by 500 calories then you should gain ten pounds within ten weeks.

In English the above equation means that you need to eat 3500 calories above your minimum caloric requirement which varies from person to person. However what remains the same is you only need to eat an additional 3500 calories to gain one pound. If you don’t exercise and burn off the additional calories, they will be stored as fat. Realistically it would not be hard to gain a pound of fat in one week if you were way out of control with your eating habits. Let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment and cut by 50% the one pound per week number (which would be 4 pounds per month, 48 pounds per year) lets make it 2 pounds per month which is 24 pounds per year, which is more realistic. Now multiply one year of weight gain by 5 years. 24×5=120 pounds! 

Here is some food for thought…no pun intended: Here are the calories in a typical lunch from McDonald’s.

A Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 750 calories

An order of large French fries has 400 calories

A small Coke is 150 calories

The total for this meal: 1300 calories. You’d only need to eat this a little over twice in one week to reach 3500 calories. Can you imagine? This is just one meal out of an entire week! Throw in some ice cream, alcohol, pizza, potato chips, cookies and you could easily be way way over the extra 3500 calories you’d need to gain that extra pound.

The UFC is in a dilemma with its middleweight champion. Silva is 34-4 and is 15-0 in the UFC, 14 of those wins are via stoppage. Simply put Silva is a beast and has essentially cleaned out his division. Not only is he beating every opponent that the UFC serves up to him, he’s destroying them.

1990: Buster Douglass shocks the world when he KO’s Iron Mike Tyson. Could the same thing happen to “The Spider”?

I find it eerily similar to Mike Tyson when Tyson was in his prime. Not only was Tyson beating all of his opponents he was brutally beating them. In fact that is why Tyson fought Buster Douglass in Japan in 1990. Tyson’s pay for views had dropped because fans were no longer paying to watch Tyson murder another hapless victim. His promotion decided to fight him in Japan where the pay for view buy rate would be higher than in the United States and the rest is history so to speak.

There is talk of Chris Weidman fighting Silva, Weidman is an exceptionally tough and talented fighter but he’s simply not ready at 9-0 (5-0 in the UFC)to fight Silva. For the love of God, Silva has more wins in the UFC alone than Weidman has in his career!   Is the UFC really going to feed to Silva one of their best up and coming prospects (Weidman)? And more importantly will anyone care to watch that fight?

Will the UFC set up a fight between Silva and Jon Jones? Never. Jones is too big for Silva and the UFC would never risk the marquee value of Jones by having him possibly lose to Silva. Will Silva fight GSP at a catch weight? Possibly. GSP’s popularity with the fans has dropped because of his conservative style of fighting. If the money is right GSP might agree to a fight with Silva.

The UFC needs to figure out what to do and do it soon because it’s only a matter of time before Silva becomes demotivated by fighting guys that are not his caliber and then whamo…you’ll have an upset the likes of which has not been seen since an unknown fighter named Buster Douglass KO’d the baddest man on Earth at the time…Mike Tyson

This guy is over 50 years old!

I went as a spectator last night to my first bodybuilding show. It was really interesting (more on that in another article). The event was the NGA Mr. and Ms. Metro Philly Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. There was one competitor that I’d like to write about, he was the only competitor over 50 years old that competed. He was very impressive considering his age, very impressive indeed. His physique was very tight and he was highly striated and muscular. I don’t remember what his name was, but he was in way better shape than most men of ANY age. If a FIFTY year old man can keep himself in this kind of condition what excuse do you have for not getting into shape?

People find the most ridiculous excuses for not working out. I’m not saying that you have to look like this guys does, but for the love of God are you telling me that you can’t do some kind of physical activity at least three times per week and watch what you shovel into that gaping hole  in your face also known as your mouth?

Here are some of the most common excuses I hear people use for not working out:

1.       I’m too busy.

This is by far the most common excuse. Yes, schedules are busy…but if something is a priority (the finale of American Idol, for example), you will make time for it.

2.       I’m too old.

No, you aren’t! Almost no one is too old or too frail to work out. Exercise can help stave off sarcopenia, or muscle loss, and prevent falls. It might help to find a trainer who has experience with older folks.

3.       Working out is boring.

The best way to avoid being bored is to find an activity that doesn’t bore you. Don’t like to run? Don’t do it. Bike, box, row, dance, or do whatever floats your boat. And once you find something you enjoy, make changes now and then to keep your interest.

4.        I have family or kids (who doesn’t?)

Work around your kids’ schedule as best you can; waking up before they do may not sound appealing, but many parents say it’s the only time they can be sure to get in an uninterrupted workout and some much-needed alone time.

5.         I’m too out of shape or too fat.

As with age, extra pounds are rarely an excuse for not exercising. Just be sure to start gradually—walking, swimming, biking, or other exercises that don’t involve a lot of pounding are great. And all of us, not just the overweight, need to remember that exercising is not a free pass to eat a lot more.*

This guy at 50 has a body that men in their 20′s would love to have…

The list of excuses is endless, to put it adroitly, if you can find the time to do all of the things that you enjoy like watching movies and hanging out with your friends, then surely you can find the time to exercise. But those are just my thoughts; you can do whatever the hell you want to do… just be prepared to pay the “bill” when it comes due for letting yourself go…

I’ll leave you with a quote from one of the greatest bodybuilders ever,

“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

*taken from usnews.com

Patient “lifting device” AKA a crane.

I’ve been accused of “fat bashing” on this site. I’m am not anti fat or anti anything else for that matter. You live your life style the way you want and I’ll do the same. However when your life style impacts mine, particularly financially well then we have a problem. I’ve been blogging that obesity is overwhelming and over taxing our health care system. This morning I read in USA Today that hospitals are ordering “heavy lifting machinery” to help lift obese patients. (Click here for the associated story.) Who do you think is paying for these “cranes”? You and I of course, because hospitals will pass the cost of these machines onto its other customers (patients). For the love of God if you are so heavy that a hospital essentially needs a crane to lift you then you should pay for the cost of “crane usage” not me!

If you don’t want to read the associated story from USA Today, the last sentence is:

“You can have someone who is complete total care that is 500 to 600 pounds,” 

My god…600 pounds…sweet mother of mercy, we are doomed as a nation.

I usually don’t blog about politics because of how emotive people become when it comes to debating political issues. I’m going to take a brief foray into the political realm and make a statement about gun control considering the shooting spree that occurred over the weekend at the “Batman” movie.

My statement is brief and perhaps overly simplistic, but simply put there are too many guns in the hands of the citizenry of our nation. I won’t debate the dynamics of gun control, I could write a book about it. I’ll use Occam’s razor to make a rather simple and logical assumption about mass shootings:

Guns are efficient people killers, lead pipes are not.

If mass shooters had no guns the sheer volume of their victims would be much lower. How many people can you kill with a baseball bat or machete? Can you imagine some nut walking into a movie theater and trying to kill 12 people with a lead pipe? It’s simply not practical or terribly efficient to kill lots and lots of people with your bare hands. After you smash the skulls of the first one or two victims, blood, brain matter and gore would be all over the attacker and his weapon (lead pipe). The weapon would become so slippery the attacker would no longer be able to effectively wield it, however standing in the front of a crowed movie theater shooting at hapless people with an assault weapon…now that’s fast, effective and easy. I bet Holmes did not even break a sweat as the muzzle flash of his AR-15 lit up the room and spewed empty shell casings as he gleefully mowed down his terrified victims.

The dynamics of the “slaughter power trip”:

It seems to me that these mass shooters revel in terrifying their victims. They seem to derive some sick twisted perverted pleasure gunning down frantic people as they run about screaming and begging for their lives. I’d bet my bottom dollar that James Holmes, the sniveling rat faced little weasel that he is does not have the temerity or physical strength to try and slaughter innocent people with a rock, crowbar or pointed stick.

James Holmes played “God” for one night.

Holmes decked himself out in full body armor and was carrying an arsenal. He transformed himself into a near “God” like omnipotent figure that had the ability to determine who lives and who dies. That’s an incredible amount of power for any being to wield. Holmes for a few brief moments was the “most powerful person in the room”. He was the alpha predator. I bet he had an extreme feeling of self satisfaction as he planned and executed his evening of terror and murder (oops alleged). Take away the weapons from the mass shooters and they are now missing the most important component of their “slaughter power trip”. If they have no guns they remain the innocuous,anonymous and unknown little pip squeaks they are. The type of person who would go completely unnoticed in a crowded room…a nobody.

Below is a chart that has some interesting facts about gun violence in the United States and other countries. Excepting third world nations you’ll notice that the United States is nearly always close the top of the list. You’d think that as one of the wealthiest nations on earth we’d lead a list that includes the highest level of education per capita not murders committed by guns…

Gun violence statistics around the world. Click this image to see the chart.

Yesterday in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class one of my students asked me “why I train so hard at 51?” I just stared at him with a vexed quizzical look and really could not think of an answer. I went home and slept on it and now know why…

1. I don’t do it for monetary gain…although the amount of private lessons I’m now teaching has gone up ten fold. Is it because my health and attitude is better?
2. I don’t do it because I want to impress people…the agony and suffering of my workouts are simply to extreme to do them for the sake of vanity.
3. I don’t do it to inspire others to do the same, although I feel good when that happens.

I do do it because:

I enjoy pushing myself to my limit. I want to see how far I can go  and how fit I can become. I enjoy setting lofty goals for myself and attaining them…always. Most importantly I do it because I’d rather be dead than be the fat sad depressed man I was 18 months ago. Every training session, every time the agony is so great I can barely sleep or think, I remember the wretch I once was and wake up the next morning even more determined to be one workout further away from him. That is why I do it…

I usually climb on days when I’m not weight training or doing Jiu Jitsu, frequently I do it on the same days!

James Egan Holmes, the alleged “Batman Shooter” or Joker as he prefers.

His name is James Eagan Holmes and he is  no idiot that’s for sure. He’s a graduate student in neuroscience. Ironically neuroscience is defined as; any of the sciences, such as neurochemistry, that deal with the structure or function of the nervous system and brain. Apparently he comes from a “good family that is rather well off, (they don’t live in the ghetto). Neighbors describe him as a nice kid, no surprise there. He was a very good student and got good grades. He could not get a job after college so his mom suggested that he get an advanced degree. Actually he was in the process of withdrawing from the neuroscience department at the University of Colorado at the time of the mass shooting spree. He was wearing all black at the time of his rampage and his “attire” included head-to-toe black bullet-proof gear, including helmet, vest, leggings and a groin and throat protector, a gas mask, goggles and black gloves. At the time of his arrest he told police that he was “the joker“.

A federal law enforcement official said the four weapons police found when they arrested Holmes behind the movie theater were purchased within the past six months at Denver and Aurora-area gun shops. Police said he used an AR 15 assault rifle, a Remington shotgun and a 40-caliber Glock handgun during the attack. Police found the weapons and another 40-caliber Glock in Holmes’ white Hyundai when they arrested him, said Aurora Chief Dan Oates.

The assault rifle was traced to a Gander Mountain gun store in Thornton, Colo., the Remington shotgun and one of the Glock handguns were bought at a Bass Pro Shop in Denver, and the second Glock handgun was purchased at Gander Mountain store in Aurora.

Holmes bought the weapons in May, June and July, the federal law enforcement official said, adding that investigators have recovered at least one video from a store security camera recording the purchase.*

So let me see if I can wrap my mind around this. An emotionally disturbed individual is legally capable of buying full body armor and four guns within a three month time span? Some people are saying that we need further gun control restrictions and others are advocating arming our citizenry even further(so people can shoot back…yeeee haaaaaa) as a solution to these mass shooting. I’m not sure what the solution is ,however I do know that there is something fundamentally rotten to the core in a society where people can be mascaraed simply because they go to the movies. In countries in the middle east like Syria, the government massacres its citizens, in the United States the citizens massacre each other…gotta love it.

*source USA Today

Click this image for associated story.

My position on same sex marriage is; quite frankly I don’t care who you sleep with or who you marry. With the plethora of problems in the world the last thing on my mind is who marries who. However I do respect the position of Chick-fil-A for at least having the balls to make their position on same sex public. I’d rather deal with a racist or homophobe face to face than behind my back. At least consumers now know the corporate stance of the company and can act accordingly when it comes to patronizing chick-fil-A.

I’m sure many gay rights groups will be boycotting them now. I won’t because I don’t eat that nasty deep fried heart attack on a plate food anyway.

The first thing I saw on the net when I got up this morning was this sad and tragic story of some guy going nuts in a movie theater and shooting the place up. Apparently 14 people may have been gunned down simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Click the image below for the associated story.

Shooting spree at movie theater. Click this image for the associated story.

It’s ironic because last week in an MMA class I was teaching at Wing’s Martial Arts I taught my students how to disarm someone wielding a gun. They were a bit puzzled at first because they were in an MMA class where typically wrestling, boxing, jiu jitsu and Thai Boxing is taught, not how to disarm someone with a gun. I explained to them that violence in America is on the rise and it is random and sudden. There is no predictability when it comes to someone flipping their lid grabbing a gun and going on a shooting spree. It’s really scary that people can become so angry that they lose utter and complete control of themselves and commit acts of extreme violence.

My solution:

Better mental health screening to make sure unstable people don’t get within a parsec of a firearm.

Changes to the gun laws. Allegedly the shooter had among his weapons an assault rifle. What does the average American citizen need an assault rifle for?

I find it sadly amusing how easily side tracked people can become from the main goal of life which simply put…is living. The drama, acrimony and discord that ensue daily among people is quite disturbing. What makes it so shocking is that people start arguing and fighting about the most inane and unimportant things. “So and so said this about me”, so and so did not do this for me, so and so forgot about my birthday”…I mean really dumb stuff that will certainly not change the course of human history and quite frankly won’t even be remembered in 50 years.

At times people remind me of lawn insects that scamper about in the dirt below the blades of grass. These insects are so small they are completely unaware of the lawn in which they live. People are much the same. We can become so involved in daily drama that we forget about why we are here…to live life and experience the richness and majesty of the world in which we live.

Have you had time to visit a cancer hospital lately? I have. What makes a cancer hospital unique is the disparity among its patients. Cancer does not discriminate along, racial, gender, sexual orientation or age. Cancer is just as likely to reach out with its foul hand for a twenty two year old person as an eighty two year old person. The people that are fighting to stay alive in a cancer hospital tend not to concern themselves about petty squabbles with their family, friends or neighbors. Their priority is to stay alive.

Imagine it’s the first thing in the morning and you are taking a shower. As you rub the bar of soap under your armpit you feel a dense lump, a lump that was not there before. Well my friend you just got dealt a game changing card from the deck of life. Things are about to get very interesting for you. Get back to me after your first terrifying meeting with your oncologist and let me know if you are still concerned with the petty machinations of life that were so important to you before you found that lump in your arm pit.

I’ll leave you with a quote about life:

“We have only one shot in this life, make the best of it”~Sanya Roman